Risk Of Occupational Injury Research Articles

Проблемы и перспективы формирования системы проактивного мониторинга безопасности работников предприятий горнодобывающей отрасли

The analysis of official statistics shows that the existing mechanisms for reducing the risks of occupational injuries, based on monitoring traditional indicators of occupational safety, and financing a set of appropriate preventive measures, largely exhausted their potential. They do not contribute to further formation of a stable trend to reduce the occupational injuries. The phased abandonment of prescriptive regulation in the industry of the Russian Federation makes it inevitable to introduce the concept of the goal of activities on ensuring occupational safety and health. Approaches to managing safety of the organizational processes when measuring the efficiency of the occupational health and safety management system should be based on active monitoring and continuous improvement of the performance indicators of the relevant processes. The relevance and need for a comprehensive solution of the theoretical, methodological and applied problems of monitoring efficiency in the field of ensuring safety of employees labor in the industry of the Russian Federation, as well as the imperfection of the scientific and methodological base and the state system of the operative management of occupational risks require the development of adequate and efficient solutions for improving the level of occupational safety, reduction of deaths and injurie rate. The essence of the concept of proactive monitoring of safety is that the efficiency of planning and monitoring in the field of ensuring safety at all levels (state, industry, corporate, etc.) should be justified using measurable indicators (indices) of the efficiency of ensuring safety and corresponding values of the target and threshold safety levels. The paper focuses on the problems of developing a proactive monitoring system for occupational safety, and the use of leading indicators for monitoring occupational safety and health state in real time, as well as to respond appropriately.

Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Symptoms and Ergonomics Among Plastic Surgery Residents: Results of a National Survey and Analysis of Contributing Factors.

Musculoskeletal symptoms and injuries among surgeons are underestimated but are increasingly recognized to constitute a major problem. However, it has not been established when symptoms start and what factors contribute to the development of symptoms. A 19-question survey approved by our institution's review board, and American Council of Academic Plastic Surgery was sent to all plastic surgery residents enrolled in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited plastic surgery training programs in the United States. The presence of various musculoskeletal symptoms was calculated, and predictors of these symptoms were evaluated. We received 104 total responses. Ninety-four percent of residents had experienced musculoskeletal pain in the operating room. The neck was the most commonly affected area (54%) followed by the back (32%) and extremities (12%). Interestingly, 52% of responders developed these symptoms during the first 2 years of their residency. Furthermore, increasing postgraduate year level (P = 0.3) and independent versus integrated status (P = 0.6) had no correlation with pain, suggesting that symptoms began early in training.Pain symptoms were frequent for 47%, whereas 5% reported experiencing symptoms during every case. The use of a headlight correlated with frequent pain (odds ratio, 2.5; P = 0.027). The use of microscope and loupes did not correlate with frequent pain. Eighty-nine percent of responders were aware of having bad surgical posture, but only 22% had received some form of ergonomics training at their institution. Sixty-four percent of responders believe that the operating room culture does not allow them to report the onset of symptoms and ask for adjustments. This was more common among residents reporting frequent pain (odds ratio, 3.12; P = 0.009). Plastic surgeons are at high risk for occupational symptoms and injuries. Surprisingly, symptoms start early during residency. Because residents are aware of the problem and looking for solutions, this suggests an opportunity for educational intervention to improve the health and career longevity of the next generation of surgeons.

Understanding Work-Related Injury Risk Among Montana Rehabilitation Clinicians

Background: Rehabilitation clinicians face a high risk of occupational injury. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are one of the most frequent injuries for these rehabilitation clinicians due to repeated heavy lifting and other forceful tasks. The objective of this study was to identify factors which caused or contributed to WMSDs for clinicians specifically working in rehabilitation settings (e.g., acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, long-term care, skilled nursing, outpatient therapy). Methods: A multifaceted pilot survey was conducted of Montana physical and occupational therapists working at a rural, Montana community hospital. Information on general workload, work-related pain or discomfort, patient handling and clinical experience were gathered using both a scripted interview questionnaire and a semi-scripted post-interview discussion. The survey contained five different categories and took approximately 20 minutes to complete. Six therapists from a local community hospital participated in the pilot survey. Results: Subjects (n=6) were all female and had an average age of 43 with standard deviation of 10. On average, these acute care rehabilitation therapists spent five to eight hours per day delivering “hands on” care to patients. During a typical workday, therapists spent 32% of the time heavy lifting, 37% kneeling/squatting, and 39% bending/twisting. Around half suffered musculoskeletal pain or discomfort but continued to work during the past year. Most pain was caused by transferring and repositioning patients. The clinicians’ necks, middle backs and wrists/hands suffered the most severe pain or discomfort. Adequate mobile floor and overhead lifting equipment as well as a shortage of therapeutic lifting device were reported from the survey. Non-mechanical lifting aids like sit-to-stand aids, friction reducing device and multi-handled gait belts was reflected inadequate for clinicians. Discussion: Physical therapists and occupational therapists are at higher risk for WMSDs due to patient handling tasks. There is limited inpatient therapy resources throughout Montana. More user-friendly and therapeutic patient handling equipment and therapeutic training are required. Application: This study highly followed the principle of core competencies for public health professionals to provide evidence-based results and systematic design to assess the risk of patient handling. Future Research: To study causal factors of WMSDs related to patient handling, additional interviews will be collected across Southwest Montana’s health system.

Numerical investigation of vehicle occupant injury risks in underbody blast events

Numerical investigation of vehicle occupant injury risks in underbody blast events

Learning game for improving forklift drivers\u2019 safety awareness

Forklift drivers in in-house logistics are at a high risk of occupational injuries. This study piloted a video-based learning game for forklift drivers, designed to increase their safety awareness in their highly dynamic operating environment. The game consisted of video clips filmed from the driver’s perspective. Each video clip was stopped and masked at a point where a safety-relevant item or hazard appeared. Two locations were marked on the screen, one with the hazard and the other with no hazard. The players had to choose the location with the hazard while the screen was masked and received feedback on their choice. Eighty-one professional forklift drivers played the game at their workplaces during the 3–4 month intervention. In addition, forklift registered hard shocks were recorded and compared to the game performance of 20 participants. Higher accuracy in the game correlated with a lower shock rate, suggesting that real-world forklift driving skills transferred to the game. However, accuracy improvement in the game did not decrease the vehicle registered hard shocks. During the intervention, 40% of the participants reported that they began to pay more attention to the hazards of their work environment. Overall, the results suggest that a gamified approach could be useful for demonstrating safety-relevant features at the workplace and supporting drivers’ safety-related self-reflection.

A Review of Orthopaedic Surgical Set-Up and Introduction of the TULIPS Mnemonic - Six Simple Steps for Optimising Set-Up in Orthopaedic Surgery.

Conducting a thorough check to ensure that all equipment and personnel are positioned correctly at the start of any operation is essential for both the safety of the surgical team and the patient outcome. Orthopaedic surgery in particular carries a high risk of occupational injury and this group could benefit greatly from ergonomic improvements. This review highlights multiple factors that can influence safety of surgeons, surgical efficiency and patient outcomes.“TULIPS” is a mnemonic that lists six key steps in optimising the surgical procedure through effective positioning of equipment and personnel pre-operatively. This was trialled by distribution amongst orthopaedic registrars regionally and it received excellent feedback, with the majority changing their current practice. Here we report that using this simple and memorable checklist can assist orthopaedic surgeons in setting up the operating theatre, facilitating ergonomic improvements that can reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injury and radiation exposure.

Impact of an 11-Week Strength and Conditioning Program on Firefighter Trainee Fitness

Physical fitness is an important aspect of physical health and wellbeing. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 11-weeks of formal strength and conditioning training conducted during fire academy training on the physical fitness characteristics of firefighter trainees. Archived physical fitness data for 23 male fire academy trainees (age: 27.6 ± 4.3 y; height: 178.5 ± 6.9 cm; body mass [BM]: 83.9 ± 1.8 kg; BM index [BMI]: 26.8 ± 2.8 kg/m2) were analyzed for this study. These data included vertical jump height, maximum pull-up repetitions, hand grip strength, lower-body strength (3RM Hexbar) and aerobic fitness. Trainees performed three sessions per week (two resistance training sessions and one aerobic conditioning session) in addition to fire academy training. A repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant (p < 0.05) pre-post decreases in BM and BMI and significant increases in upper- and lower-body strength, and aerobic fitness. Strength and conditioning programs are beneficial for improving firefighter trainees’ physical fitness even when run concurrently with fire academy training and with limited space and equipment. This increased fitness may aid in mitigating known occupational injury risks to this population and improve task performance.

Numerical investigation of occupant injury risks in car-to-end terminal crashes using dummy-based injury criteria and vehicle-based crash severity metrics

Guardrails were designed to deter vehicle access to off-road areas and consequently prevent hitting rigid fixed objects alongside the road (e.g. trees, utility poles, traffic barriers, etc.). However, guardrails cause 10 % of deaths in vehicle-to-fixed-object crashes, which recently attracted attention in the highway safety community on the vehicle-based injury criteria used in regulations. The objectives of this study were to investigate both full-body and body-region driver injury probabilities using finite element (FE) simulations, to quantify the influence of pre-impact conditions on injury probabilities, and to analyze the relationship between the vehicle-based crash severity metrics currently used in regulations and the injury probabilities assessed using dummy-based injury criteria.A total of 20 FE impact simulations between a car (Toyota Yaris) with a Hybrid III M50 dummy model in the driver seat and an end terminal model (ET-Plus) were performed in various configurations (e.g. pre-impact velocities, offsets, and angles). The driver’s risk of serious injuries (AIS 3+) was estimated based on kinematic and kinetic responses of the dummy during the crashes. A non-linear regression approach was used to compare the injury probabilities assessed in this study to the vehicle-based crash severity metrics used in the testing regulations. In particular, the US Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) guideline and European procedures (EN1317) were used for the study.All the recorded dummy-based injury criteria values pass the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208 limits which indicated a low driver risk of serious injury. Overall, the pre-impact vehicle velocity showed to have the highest influence in almost all injury probabilities (59 %, 79 %, 62 %, and 44 % in full-body, head, neck, and chest injuries, respectively). The offset between vehicle midline and the guardrail barrier was the most important variable for thigh injuries (56 %). The assessed injury probabilities were compared to vehicle-based severity metrics. The full-body and chest injuries showed the highest correlation with Occupant Impact Velocity (OIV), Acceleration Severity Index (ASI), and Theoretical Head Impact Velocity (THIV) (R2 > 0.6). Lower correlations of thigh injuries were recorded to OIV (R2 = 0.59) and THIV (R2 = 0.46). Meanwhile, weak correlations were observed between all the other regressions which indicated that no vehicle-based criteria could be used to predict head and neck injuries.Car-to-end terminal crash FE simulations involving a dummy model were performed for the first time in this study. The results pointed out the limitations of the standard vehicle-based injury methods in terms of head and neck injury prediction. The dummy-based injury assessment methodology presented in this study could supplement the crash tests for various impact conditions. In addition, the models could be used to design new advanced guardrail end terminals.

Multi-Objective Optimization for Structure Crashworthiness Based on Kriging Surrogate Model and Simulated Annealing Algorithm

Multi-objective optimization of crashworthiness in automobile front-end structure was performed, and finite element model (FEM) was validated by experimental results to ensure that FEM can predict the response value with sufficient accuracy. Seven design variables and four crashworthiness indicators were defined. Through orthogonal design method, 18 FEMs were established, and the response values of crashworthiness indicators were extracted. By using the variable-response specimen matrix, Kriging surrogate model (KSM) was constructed to replace FEM to reflect the function correlation between variables and responses. The accuracy of KSM was also validated. Finally, the simulated annealing optimization algorithm was implemented in KSM to seek optimal and reliable solutions. Based on the optimal results and comparison analysis, the 9096-th iteration point was the optimal solution. Although the intrusion of firewall and the mass of optimal structure increased slightly, the vehicle acceleration of the optimal solution decreased by 6.9%, which effectively reduced the risk of occupant injury.

Difficult horses – prevalence, approaches to management of and understanding of how they develop by equine veterinarians

SummaryDespite the considerable risk of veterinary occupational injury due to adverse horse behaviour, limited information is available about the prevalence of unwanted equine behaviours or common approaches to managing them. An understanding of learning theory may affect veterinarians’ approaches to dealing with unwanted equine behaviours; however, learning theory is not widely taught. The aim of this study was to document the challenges equine veterinarians face when working with difficult horses and define their approaches to managing them, including their understanding of the processes through which horses learn. A link to an online survey was distributed via email amongst UK equine veterinarians. Descriptive and Kruskal–Wallis statistical analyses were performed. We found that 95% of equine veterinarians reported working with difficult horses on at least a monthly basis, resulting in 81% of them sustaining at least one injury in the last 5 years. The most popular methods of dealing with unwanted behaviours were physical and chemical restraint. 46% of those surveyed had never received any tuition on the processes through which horses learn. Despite 79% believing they had at least a moderate understanding of equine learning theory, they performed poorly when tested, with only 10% able to get at least five out of six questions correct. Further education on the subject of learning theory may be beneficial.

A framework for rapid on-board deterministic estimation of occupant injury risk in motor vehicle crashes with quantitative uncertainty evaluation

Accurate on-board occupant injury risk prediction of motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) can decrease fatality rates by providing critical information timely and improving injury severity triage rates. The present implemented prediction algorithms in vehicle safety systems are probabilistic and rely on multi-variate logistic regression of real-world vehicle collision databases. As a result, they do not utilize important vehicle and occupant features and tend to overgeneralize the solution space. This study presents a framework to address these problems with deterministic and computationally efficient lumped parameter model simulations driven by a database of vehicle crash tests. A 648-case mixed database was generated with finite element and multi-body models and validated under the principal directions of impact with experimental results for a single vehicle body type. Using the finite element database, we developed lumped parameter models for four principal modes of impact (i.e., frontal, rear, near side and far side) with parameters identified via genetic algorithm optimization. To obtain confidence bounds for the injury risk prediction, the parameter uncertainty and model adequacy were evaluated with arbitrary and bootstrapped polynomial chaos expansion. The developed algorithm was able to achieve over triage rates of 17.1% ± 8.5%, whilst keeping the under triage rates below 8% on a finite element-multi body model database of a single vehicle body type. This study demonstrated the feasibility and importance of using low-complexity deterministic models with uncertainty quantification in enhanced occupant injury risk prediction. Further research is required to evaluate the effectiveness of this framework under a wide range of vehicle types. With the flexibility of parameter adjustment and high computational efficiency, the present framework is generic in nature so as to maximize future applicability in improved on-board triage decision making in active safety systems.

JA:2021-26. Protecting and Promoting the Health of Young Agricultural Workers through Supervisor Training

ABSTRACT Purpose: Young workers in agriculture (under 25-years-old) are at increased risk for occupational injuries. In addition to traditional workplace hazards, fatigue, substance use, and distracted behaviors are risk factors for injury. While supervisors can play an active role in protecting young workers, there are currently no interventions targeting this group. An online training for supervisors was developed using a Total Worker Health™ framework. The training was evaluated among those who hire, teach, or supervise young agricultural workers. Methods: People who hire, teach, or supervise young workers were invited to participate in the online training and research study via email, conference handout, or word-of-mouth. Participants were asked to complete a 1-hour training and surveys at baseline, directly following the training, and 3 months after the training. Demographics, workplace factors, and knowledge of training topics were assessed at all three time points. Results/Findings: To date, 102 participants completed the training and 3-month follow up, representing 22 states and 2 U.S. territories. Over half (58%) were agricultural educators; the remainder were farmers/producers, agricultural supervisors, and health and safety professionals. Two-thirds (69%) had supervised young workers for 5 or more years. Knowledge scores were high, and at the conclusion of the study, over half (61%) of participants indicated they would definitely recommend the training to others. When asked to indicate how the training most helped them, 29% of participants cited using a method of training young workers called “Teach Back.” Practical Application: The majority of participants would recommend the training to others and found training contents applicable to their work. All training materials are available for use in online and classroom-based formats. The training is available in Spanish and English.

Should airbags be deactivated for wheelchair-seated drivers?

Objective Field data have shown significant benefit from driver airbag for occupant protection in frontal crashes. However, vehicle modifiers almost always permanently deactivate airbags for wheelchair-seated drivers. The objective of this study was to conduct sled tests and computational simulations to answer whether driver airbags should be deactivated for drivers seated in wheelchairs. Methods Five sled tests were conducted under a 48-kph 20-g frontal crash pulse all with driver airbag. Seat-belt fit (good, poor, and unbelted), airbag deployment time (proper and late), and occupant size (midsize male and small female HIII ATDs) were varied in the tests. The 2006 Chrysler Town-and-Country minivan was selected as the nominal vehicle environment, and a surrogate wheelchair with a docking securement system was used for all sled tests. ATD injury measures for the head, neck, chest, and lower extremities were recorded in each test, and were used for validating a set of MADYMO models. Parametric studies with a total of 28 MADYMO simulations were then conducted to investigate the airbag effects on occupant injury risks with varied occupant size, belt fit, and impact angle (0, 15, and 30 deg). Results The sled tests showed potential safety concerns for wheelchair-seated drivers with a poor belt fit or without a belt. Specifically, the unbelted midsize male ATD sustained high femur forces and the small female ATD with poor belt fit sustained high chest deflections. The parametric simulations showed that airbag generally improved the protection for wheelchair-seated drivers. It is especially useful for unbelted wheelchair-seated drivers, and is also helpful for reducing the head and neck injury risks regardless of the belt condition, occupant size, and impact angle. Conclusions This is the first study using sled tests and computational simulations to investigate the effects of airbag deployment on injury risks of wheelchair-seated drivers. Overall, the results showed little basis for concern that the energy of deploying a driver airbag in today’s vehicles will cause serious-to-fatal injuries to drivers seated in wheelchairs. The results of this study therefore support the idea that driver airbags generally offer tangible safety benefits for a wide range of wheelchair-seated drivers in frontal crashes.

Characteristics of working hours and the risk of occupational injuries among hospital employees: a case-crossover study.

Objectives:We investigated the association of working hours with occupational injuries in hospital shift work.Methods:Registry data of occupational injuries of hospital employees from 11 towns and 6 hospital districts were linked to daily payroll data to obtain working hours for 37 days preceding the first incidence of the injury (N=18 700). A case-crossover design and associated matched-pair interval analysis were used to compare working hour characteristics for three separate hazard windows among the same subjects. Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).Results:We found an elevated risk of an occupational injury for workdays with evening shifts (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.03–1.14) and workdays following night shifts (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.17–1.52). After excluding commuting injuries, the risk increased during the evening shifts (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.09–1.23) and the work days following night shifts (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.24–1.69), but was no more significant during the morning shifts. Injury risk increased following a week of ≥5 morning shifts or ≥3 evening shifts, but did not increase according to the number of preceding night shifts or quick returns. The length of the work shift (OR 1.22, CI 1.06–1.42) – not the length of the weekly working hours – was associated with an increased risk.Conclusions:The results indicate an increased occupational injury risk during the evening shifts and during work days following night shifts, with the risk increasing according to the number of evening but not night shifts.

Incorporation of Equine Learning Theory into the Undergraduate Curriculum

Working as an equine veterinarian carries a high risk of occupational injury, with the behavior of the horse frequently reported as a cause for these injuries. Risk of injury is one reason cited by undergraduate veterinary students that would prevent them from entering large animal practice, and newly graduated veterinarians have been shown to be at increased risk of sustaining an occupational injury compared with more experienced colleagues. A cohort of pre-final-year undergraduate veterinary students were given a 45-minute lecture on learning theory and its application in equine practice, completing a questionnaire before (pre) and after (immediately [post] and several weeks [delayed post]) to investigate whether receiving a single lecture alters undergraduate veterinary students' perception of dealing with difficult horses in equine practice. The undergraduate veterinary students' attitudes to the behavior scenarios altered from the pre-questionnaire to the post- and delayed post-questionnaires. They were less likely to choose more traditional methods of restraining or controlling the horse (such as a twitch) and more likely to choose an option based on learning theory after the lecture. They also reported that if they had to deal with one of these scenarios in practice following the lecture, they would feel more confident, more likely to succeed in completing the intervention, and less likely to be injured. This study suggests that an educational intervention can help change the attitudes and confidence of undergraduate students when working with difficult horses.

A Nozickian Case for Compulsory Employment Injury Insurance: The Example of Sweatshops

Production in sweatshops entails an elevated risk of occupational injury and sickness due to accidents and exposure to dangerous working conditions. As most sweatshop locations lack basic social security systems, health problems have severe consequences for affected workers. Against this background, this article considers what obligations employers of sweatshop labor have to their workers, and how they should meet them. Based on core libertarian concepts, it shows that they are morally responsible for health problems caused by their management decisions, that they should compensate affected workers, and that they must prevent potentially irreversible health problems. In line with Nozick’s contractarian method, the article further argues that these obligations should be implemented through a compulsory employment injury insurance system. Such a system would impose industry-wide health and safety standards, in contrast to the view that libertarianism excludes any labor regulation for the protection of workers, as an illegitimate interference in voluntary labor contracts.

Systematic Review of Cannabis Use and Risk of Occupational Injury

Aim: A range of nations, including countries of the European Union, Australia, and the Americas have recently implemented or proposed reforms to how they control cannabis use, thereby departing from traditional approaches of criminal prohibition that have dominated throughout most of the twentieth century. Given these policy developments and the widespread global use of cannabis, it is critically important to understand the possible risks associated with cannabis use in relation to major societal harms. Methods: This systematic review investigates the potential link between cannabis use and occupational injury. Consequently, it appraises all available current literature from five databases, following Cochrane and PRISMA guidelines. Results: Seven of the 16 reviewed studies show evidence supporting a positive association between cannabis use and occupational injury. One study shows evidence supporting a negative association and the remaining eight studies show no evidence of a significant relation. None of the studies assessed cannabis-related impairment. Only three of the reviewed studies show clear evidence that cannabis use preceded the occupational-injury event. Conclusion: The current body of evidence does not provide sufficient evidence to support the position that cannabis users are at increased risk of occupational injury. Further, the study quality assessment suggests significant biases in the extant literature are present due to potential confounding variables, selection of participants, and measurement of exposures and outcomes. Future high-quality evidence will be needed to elucidate the relation between cannabis use and occupational injury.

Evaluating the effectiveness of labor protection policy on occupational injuries caused by extreme heat in a large subtropical city of China

On March 1, 2012, the Chinese government implemented the Administrative Measures on Heatstroke Prevention (AMHP2012) to combat the occupational health impacts of extreme heat, and reducing occupational injury was one of the main purposes. This study aimed at quantifying the intervention effects of the AMHP2012 on extreme heat-related occupational injuries and subsequent insurance payouts in Guangzhou, China. Data on occupational injuries and insurance payouts were collected from March 1, 2011, to February 28, 2013, from the occupational injury insurance system of Guangzhou. A quasi-experimental design with before-after control was adopted. Interrupted time series analysis was performed to quantify the change of occupational injuries and insurance payouts after policy implementation. The distributed lag non-linear model was used to explore whether injury claims and insurance payouts due to extreme heat decreased. A total of 9851 injury claims were included in the analysis. After policy implementation, the risk of occupational injuries and insurance payouts decreased by 13% (RR = 0.87, 95%CI: 0.75, 0.99) and 24% (RR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.58, 0.94), respectively. The attributable fraction of extreme heat-related occupational injuries decreased from 3.17% (95%eCI: 1.35, 4.69) to 1.52% (95%eCI: −0.36, 3.15), which contributed to 0.86 million USD reduction of insurance payouts. Both males and females, low-educated, young and middle-aged workers, workers at small or medium-sized enterprises, engaging in manufacturing, and with both minor and severe injuries were apparently associated with decreased rates of extreme heat-related occupational injuries. The AMHP2012 policy contributed to the reduction of extreme heat-related occupational injuries and insurance payouts in Guangzhou, China, and this research provided novel evidence for decision-makers to better understand the necessity of implementing health protection policies among laborers under climate change.

Severity assessment of accidents involving roadside trees based on occupant injury analysis.

The aims of this study were to achieve a quantitative assessment of the severity of accidents involving roadside trees on highways and to propose corresponding safety measures to reduce accident losses. This paper used the acceleration severity index (ASI), head injury criteria (HIC) and chest resultant acceleration (CRA) as indicators of occupant injuries and horizontal radii, vehicle departure speeds, tree diameters and roadside tree spacing as research variables to carry out bias collision tests between cars, trucks and trees by constructing a vehicle rigid body system and an occupant multibody system in PC-crash 10.0® simulation software. A total of 2,256 data points were collected. For straight and curved segments of highways, the occupant injury evaluation models of cars were fitted based on the CRA, and occupant injury evaluation models of trucks and cars were fitted based on the ASI. According to the Fisher optimal segmentation method, reasonable classification standards of severities of accidents involving roadside trees and the corresponding ASI and CRA thresholds were determined, and severity assessment methods for accidents involving roadside trees based on the CRA and ASI were provided. Additionally, a new index by which to evaluate the accuracy of the accident severity classification and the degree of misclassification was built and applied for the validity verification of the proposed severity assessment methods. A proportion of trucks was introduced to further improve the ASI evaluation model. For the same simulation conditions, the results show that driver chest injuries are more serious than driver head injuries and that the average ASI of cars is greater than that of trucks. The CRA and ASI have a positive linear correlation with the departure speed and a logarithmic correlation with the roadside tree diameters. The larger the spacing of roadside trees is and the smaller the horizontal radius is, the smaller the chance that a vehicle will experience a second collision and the lower the risk of occupant injury. In method validation, the evaluation results from two proposed severity assessment methods based on the CRA and ASI are consistent, and the degrees of misclassification are 4.65% and 4.26%, respectively, which verifies the accuracy of the methods proposed in this paper and confirms that the ASI can be employed as an effective index for evaluating occupant injuries in accidents involving roadside trees.

Latent Effect of Safety Interventions

AbstractWhile researchers have dispensed considerable effort in the past decades to reduce the risk of occupational injuries in the construction industry, the large amount of safety incidents occur...